Mathematical sociology? Intersection between math and social sciences? Interdisciplinary programs?

[rickharso59]

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[arpm]

Hello everyone! I am a math major at Stanford and I really really want to study the intersection between mathematics and sociology in Graduate School. I'm planning on taking more sociology classes (so far I've been mostly focused on my math major) and possibly coterming in sociology (getting a master in the end of my undergrad). However, I am really unsure what is the best choice in terms of grad school:

1. Should I apply to applied mathematics PhDs which have a social sciences focus or to sociology PhDs which have a quantitative/mathematical focus? How would them be different?
2. How do I find out which departments have which type of preference in order to choose? What are the best places to study mathematical/quantitative sociology?
3. Am I in a huge disadvantage for PhD programs in sociology for not having a sociology major? Should I prioritize coterming in sociology over getting an honors math degree? 
4. Do my couple of B's in math classes make me look less attractive as a sociology PhD applicant or it doesn't really matter?

I'm really nervous about this so I would really appreciate the help.

Best,
Alessandra

[lkaitlyn]

I think I need you to be a bit more specific. "The intersection between mathematics and sociology" doesn't tell me your research interest. What substantively do you want to research? Do you literally want to research how the disciplines go together, or something else at the intersection of both?

[serpentstone]

From the sociology side, I think that a math background (with those extra soc classes that you're planning on) will greatly appeal to the Sociology PhD committee, being that math competency is a vital aspect of doing sociological research. In fact, low math scores are often what disqualifies many sociology BA graduates from moving forward into grad school since we really only take one or two math courses the entire time we're in soc undergrad, so I think you have a great case there for changing subjects. However, I would investigate slightly more on what your exact "math-sociology connections" ideas ARE; what is it exactly that you are trying to research? By having a clear and exact idea of your research topic(s), it'll really drive home the conviction of your decision to focus on combining STEM with humanities on the level that you've chosen.

I think you're making a great choice! There are so many truly fascinating topics that haven't yet been uncovered by research. Whatever your decision ends up being, I think you have a great groundwork laid already.

[Cophysneurec]

Economics PhD? Admissions committees care much more about mathematical preparation than the economics, though you would probably need to take intermediate micro and macro if you haven't already. Theory is competitive but highly mathematical and draws on areas such as analysis, topology, graph theory, algebraic topology and even gauge theory.